Public safety communication systems, such as 911 services, police and firefighter systems, use radio dispatch. Typically, dedicated public safety frequencies are used, which are frequently in the 800 MHz UHF range. However, each agency or agencies from different municipalities use different frequencies.
In the aftermath of the events of Sep. 11, 2001, there is a mandate for there to be interoperability between the communication systems of the various emergency services agencies. In addition to various radio frequencies and different radio signaling protocols, there is a requirement for seamless interconnection of the radio systems with telephone systems and packet network based communication systems, such as VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol).
Existing solutions that enable radio interoperability require an operator to manually set up a scenario or session between the user devices that are to be parties to the session.
Examples of current interoperability solutions include Vega®'s V.I.P.E.R system; Zetron's interconnect products; Raytheon JPS Communications' ACU-1000™; Catalyst Communication Technology, Inc.'s IP Link™; and Twisted Pair Solution's Wave™. Interoperability is also described in Applicant's co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/095,465 filed Apr. 1, 2005 and 11/096,081 filed Apr. 1, 2005, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.